Chris Pirillo » playstation

New PlayStation Device Rumors Strengthen

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 02:16:36 +0000

New PlayStation Device Rumors Strengthen

This is a guest post written by community member Craighton Miller.

Since its release 2004 the PlayStation Portable hasn’t really changed much. With only a couple of tweaks by changing the size of the unit and internal components it has largely stayed the same. Though, that may all change in a couple months, in a recent interview with The New York Times, a high level executive revealed some hints of the companies new device that will hit the market in April.

Sony’s gaming chief, Kazuo Hirai, hinted in the interview towards the rumored Android-powered PlayStation device. Kazuo Hirai, acknowledged in the interview that they are facing major competition from iOS and Android. Although the mobile gaming boom is on an up rise Kazuo Hirai added, “The games being played on Android and Apple platforms are fundamentally different from the world of immersive games that Sony Computer Entertainment, and PlayStation aims for.”

Kazuo Hirai is right for the most part, smartphone gaming is very different from what the PlayStation portable platform has to offer. Needless to say the mobile gaming landscape is changing quickly at an increasing rate.

Gaming developer, Epic Games released its Unreal Development Kit for iOS last September and one of the premiere games made from the development kit, Infinity Blade has made a deep impact on the way games can be created on the iPhone.

One of the big questions on anyone’s mind is the utilization of touchscreens. Kazuo Hirai told The New York Times that touchscreens are only efficient for some games, but he argues that having physical controls lets you immerse yourself deeper in the games that are being played.

Based off of statements from Sony over the last couple of months, one can clearly guess that the new device will be Andorid based, and would have its own device-specific games and even its own network store.

Although, we can assume the device is Android powered it is still unclear if it will be a phone or just gaming device. Though those rumors are unclear Kazuo Hirai, stressed that Sony wants to keep PlayStation’s strengths intact.

New PlayStation Device Rumors Strengthen

Want to Buy a Sony PSP?

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 20:33:50 +0000

Want to Buy a Sony PSP?

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I’m selling my PSP and not going to be getting a new one. Along with the PSP, I’m going to sell all of my games. The carrying cases and various accessories could also be yours if you are the lucky person to convince me to sell.

The games included in this package are:

I’ve hardly used the game system, and don’t even remember booting it up since I unboxed it. It’s the latest generation of PSP and is silver. I have some cases and the original packaging. It’s in near-pefect condition. I simply don’t want it, I don’t play it and I don’t need it sitting around.

Make me a competitive offer and this could be yours.

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Want to Buy a Sony PSP?

How Many Home Video Game Consoles Have You Ever Owned?

Chris Pirillo — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 22:57:55 +0000

How Many Home Video Game Consoles Have You Ever Owned?

Do you remember your first gaming system? Which games did you play the most? I’ve never been a hard-core gamer, but I have always enjoyed playing games. I’m a casual gamer. I may try my hand at the hottest new FPS, but I know that I won’t be very good at it. I play for the fun of it, not to see if I can beat the next guy’s score or have bragging rights at the end of the day.

How many of these have you owned?

No, not the LEGO representations of the home entertainment video game consoles, but the game systems themselves?

I’d have to say that in this grouping (photographed, by the way, at the 2010 BrickCon)… the first one I owned was an Atari 2600. Didn’t we all?

Next, our family had a NES – the Nintendo! Oh, man… that one brings back memories.

Fast forward a few years, to when I had a Gameboy – at least, I think that tiny brick assembly is a Gameboy? That was my first portable game system, either way.

I also had a Sega Game Gear, but I don’t know if that’s pictured above. Could be, unless that’s a Sony PSP (in which case, I had one of those, too – although long after I had an Xbox).

Oh, then there’s the Nintendo Gamecube – had that for a brief while, along with a Sony PlayStation 2. These two didn’t get much play, so to speak. They collected dust. I haven’t been a very good gamer lately.

Uh, let’s see – the Wii! Yes, and the PS3. Although, much like their respective brand predecessors, they aren’t getting much play in my home today. Maybe all of that will change when I get more time to play instead of working on uploading blog posts and photos of LEGO video game consoles?

How Many Home Video Game Consoles Have You Ever Owned?

Teen Sues Mom for Hacking his Facebook

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:34:24 +0000

Teen Sues Mom for Hacking his Facebook

A 16-year-old boy from Arkansas has filed suit against his own mother for breaking into his Facebook account and embarrassing him on his profile page. Denise New hacked her way into his account last month to “check on” him. Not only did she read what he’s been up to, she also posted some things about his personal life that her son didn’t appreciate. He brought action against her and even requested a “no contact” order. Ms. New is charged with harassment.

She isn’t taking the charges lightly, and vows to fight them. She believes that parents have the right to know everything their child is doing… even if they have to break in to their profiles to find out. However, the woman didn’t stop with checking up on her son. She posted some humiliating things to his Facebook Wall, including things like “This is what happens when you use my computer to get on Facebook” and “Does anyone have a room for rent? Help a poor mother out and get him out of my house”. Keep in mind that her son is only 16… and is now living with his grandparents.

What do you think? Does a parent’s rights to take care of their child extend to spying on them and humiliating them?

You don’t have to spy on your computer or phone to keep them running smoothly. Just check out what’s new in the software center.

Teen Sues Mom for Hacking his Facebook

What Place Does Social Media Have in our Schools?

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:12:21 +0000

What Place Does Social Media Have in our Schools?

I came across a very interesting post a little while ago, over on Geeks. The author, Will, is asking our opinions as to what place social media should play in our educational systems. Will mentioned that his high school principal has asked students for ideas as to how social media could be incorporated into education in general. He then asks for your input and ideas. I’d love to see a high rate of responses to this thread, which is why I chose to highlight it here.

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter isn’t a fad that will fade away any time soon. It’s important, it’s real, and it’s here to stay. I do have to point out something that Will said at the end of his post. He stated that he is all for social media in the schools, but that he doesn’t want to allow them access to his privacy. That is a common misconception amongst many people today. You need to remember that anything you put online is public. There is no privacy when it comes to places such as Twitter. Once something is online, it’s there for the World to see. Even at a young age, you always need to be cognizant of that fact when posting anything in any place. Things you say and do online can – and WILL – come back to bite you in the proverbial ass someday if you aren’t careful.

What are your thoughts? Instead of posting them here on the blog, please post them over on Geeks as a response to Will’s questions. Let’s see how much community participation we can get on this, and show his principal a thing or two! Will’s post wasn’t the only thought-provoking thing going on in our community today. Hopefully, you haven’t missed out on any of the action!

Be sure to check out all of the new Windows and mobile software we have today in our downloads center!

What Place Does Social Media Have in our Schools?

Yes I’m a Computer Geek – So What?

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:17:04 +0000

Yes I’m a Computer Geek – So What?

Earlier today, I noticed a blog post on Geeks talking about being called a Geek by one’s peers. The author talks about how it shouldn’t matter what others think of you. Your opinion is the one that matters. I agree with this… but I also have more to add! (Don’t I always have more to add?!)

Being called a Geek is a compliment… especially these days. Geeks are the ones who keep the world running. Geeks are the ones coming up with all of those cool gadgets you use every day. Geeks are the ones who are discovering cures for illnesses, painting the newest great work of art, and even coming up with the hottest new novel.

Keep in mind, a “Geek” does not necessarily mean you are into computers and technology. A Geek is simply someone who is passionate about something. They put their heart and soul into what it is they love, be it computers, gardening, writing, painting, or even riding a motorcycle. If you put your all into what you’re doing, how is that a bad or negative thing?

Being a Geek, therefore, is a GOOD thing, people!

Have you checked out the latest apps we have in our downloads center?

Yes I’m a Computer Geek – So What?

Are There Any Drawbacks to Being a Geek?

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:58:57 +0000

Are There Any Drawbacks to Being a Geek?

My mouth hit the floor when I read the title of this thread earlier on Geeks. A drawback to being a Geek – what?! Are you kidding me? Being a Geek is the best possible thing to be. We have it all – brains, looks, girls… what more could we want? The looks, well, just because they are funny looks at times means nothing. It’s just part of the total package that makes us so amazingly perfect, right? And the girls – ahhh, the girls – we all know that Geek boys get all the girls, right? Wait, what? You have trouble finding a girlfriend? Well, perhaps if you showered more often, and stopped being so nervous around the fairer sex. Fine. The looks and the girls may be lacking. But we have the brains! And the brains get us the money! And the money gets us more Geeky gadgets! Who needs girls, anyway?

Ok, time to get serious here, my fellow Geeks. Do you actually feel there are drawbacks to being a Geek? I’m interested in hearing your answers. For me – life is good when you’re a Geek. I’m comfortable with who, what and how I am… and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But I know that not everyone would agree, so let’s have it.

There are hundreds of excellent titles available at our downloads site, including games and other fun things to do!

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Are There Any Drawbacks to Being a Geek?

What is PSP Homebrew?

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:24:30 +0000

What is PSP Homebrew?

This is Casey Chevalier’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

Do you know what homebrew is? If you don’t, this is a must read. To use these applications on a PSP, you will need Custom Firmware(Cfw). Cfw is only available on the PSP 1000s and 2000s without the TA83v3 motherboard. Homebrew is where the firmware is “hacked” to run applications that people make – and unfortunately, it will void your warranty. After you go to Cfw, you will never go back to official firmware.

With Cfw, you can do so many things that you would never of thought of doing on your PSP. You can even write programs for your PSP! There are literally thousands of applications, and more coming out each day (for PSPs with Cfw). The applications range from emulators, to programs that enable you to watch YouTube and other video web sites. The possibilities are limitless for you when you have a homebrew-enabled PSP.

Some of the best homebrew applications include:

Cxmb – this allows you to put custom themes on your PSP. This is great because you don’t have to mess with the flash 0, so there is no risk of bricking your PSP. You can find custom themes at many sites – just search Google. You can also create your own custom themes with Ctf manager available at: http://dl.qj.net/CTF-Manager-v5.00-PSP-HomebrewApplications/pg/12/fid/24760/catid/151. This is really cool if you want a unique look for your PSP. Note: you have to download this for the specific firmware you have. That is why I am not providing a link for Cxmb. 
The next application is Ultimate PSP Tube. This allows you to watch videos from YouTube and many other video web sites. When you use this, it connects to your wireless network, so that you can watch videos from wereever you are. The current PSP browser doesn’t allow you to watch videos via your PSP. You can get this application from: http://dl.qj.net/Ultimate-PSPTube-v1.2-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/24992/catid/151. This is a must-have application if you have Cfw – it might even tempt you to switch to Cfw. 
RemoteJoyLite allows you to stream what is happening on your PSP directly to your PC or Mac via USB. This is great if you don’t have a PSP 2000 and the appropriate cables to connect it to your television. Also, it is perfect for when you want to make videos of you playing your games. I would really recommended this if you are tired of playing your games on a small screen. RemoteJoyLite can be downloaded at:http://dl.qj.net/RemoteJoyLite-0.19PSPHomebrewApplications/pg/12/fid/25081/catid/151 and the source code can be downloaded at: http://dl.qj.net/RemoteJoyLite-0.19-(source)-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/25082/catid/151 – yes! 
iR Shell is one of the best programs for the PSP with Cfw It has so many features. You can program it to be your remote if you have a PSP 1000. The PSP 2000, unfortunately, doesn’t have infrared capabilities. To program your remote to your PSP, all you do is point the remote at the PSP’s eye and it learns it. The utility also has an alarm clock that you can set to play one of your songs. It allows you to listen to music when you are playing a game, use your computer as somewhat of a memory stick via WiFi, and many other features. You can find iR Shell at: http://dl.qj.net/iR-Shell-v4.8-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/24861/catid/151 
Finally, in my list of must-have applications is Portable VNC Viewer. As you might have gathered, this application allows you to control your computer remotely – but there is more. You can see your computer’s screen on your PSP’s screen. This works via WiFi. It is a MUST HAVE. You can find it at :http://dl.qj.net/Portable-VNC-1.2.8-CFW-3.x-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/16758/catid/151 – and the source code is here: http://dl.qj.net/Portable-VNC-v1.2.8-source-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/16759/catid/151

Cfw will open seemingly-limitless possibilities with your PSP. The list of things that you can do with your PSP just keeps getting longer by the day. If you are a geek and haven’t tried Cfw yet, you really should.

What is PSP Homebrew?

What Would It Be Like to Play Inside an M.C. Escher Sketch?

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:23:29 +0000

What Would It Be Like to Play Inside an M.C. Escher Sketch?

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I did my best to run through the tutorial of Echochrome. It’s a game that came with my new PSP 3000. The music is actually really cool. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to live inside of an M.C. Escher drawing, Echochrome will show you.

Echochrome requires the player to control a moving character – which resembles an articulated wooden artist’s manequin – to visit, in any order, particular locations on the surfaces of collections of three-dimensional shapes. The locations to be visited are marked by shadows (‘echoes’) of the moving character. When the last marked position has been visited, one further echo appears which must be reached in order to complete the level: scoring is simply a matter of timing completion of each level (or a ‘course’ containing several levels).

However, the character cannot be directly controlled by the player: it moves autonomously, following a path along the surface of each shape in a manner which keeps the path’s boundary on the character’s left (that is, in order of preference, turning left, proceeding straight ahead, turning right, or turning back on itself).

The unique aspect of the game is that the path can be altered merely by rotating the shapes and viewing them from a different perspective: for instance if a gap or obstacle is obscured, the character will behave as if the path continues behind the object which currently obscures the gap or obstacle from view. Similarly, if discontinuous shapes or parts of the same shape appear, from the chosen camera angle, to form a continuous path, the character will traverse from one to the other.

Although the character cannot step off the surface of a shape, there are certain points where it may jump off or fall. It then falls downwards to whatever appears to be below it, or off the bottom of the screen to be rematerialized at a previous position. This behaviour forms one of the most compelling aspects of the game because the player must deliberately interpret the three dimensional world as if it were two dimensional in order to determine where the character will land.

The game is totally worth trying, and buying. If you’re into puzzles, or are a fan of M.C. Escher… you’ll want this game. I probably wouldn’t have bought the game if it hadn’t come with my PSP. I would not have known how much fun it is, and then I’d have lost out. I’m very happy I have it now.

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What Would It Be Like to Play Inside an M.C. Escher Sketch?

Are You Ready for Blu-Ray DVD?

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:26:00 +0000

Are You Ready for Blu-Ray DVD?

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Now that the Format War is over (for now at least), I realize I will have to buy myself a Blu-Ray drive one of these days. When I do buy one, it will be an external USB drive, so I can take it with me from one machine to another in my house. I’m not in a rush, however. One of our Community members sent in the following top five list, of reasons to not rush out to buy a Blu-Ray drive.

The best Blu-Ray player currently on the market is a game console. I am not criticizing the PS3s video capabilities. It has been said by many that it’s one of the best Blu-Ray players out there. I just feel like there is something wrong with this picture. I mean, you are going to create a new video format and the best player for that format is a device that was not even designed with video playback as its primary function? Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea that consoles are more than just gaming machines. Something just feels wrong about it being the BEST Blu-Ray player. I don’t know why I feel that way, I just do. Plus… I would rather have a dedicated player.
Video availability. This will probably become less of an issue in the coming months now that HD-DVD is dead. I understand that there are great movies out there for the Blu-Ray… however they are not numerous enough yet to warrant the investment.
Evolving standard. This is where I will contradict myself a little. If you must purchase a Blu-Ray player today, PLEASE get the PS3. I say this because almost all the current Blu-R,ay players are somewhat obsolete. The great majority of players out there are v.1.0, while the newer players are v. 1.1. Later this year Sony will introduce v. 2.0 for their Blu-Ray players. I may be wrong about this, but while most players will allow you to upgrade the firmware… none are wi-fi capable. The ps3 is already wi-fi capable (so there is no need to route a broadband wire) and Sony has been excellent when it comes to expanding the capabilities of the PS3.
Price. I am not willing to pay the current prices for a Blu-Ray player. When it comes down to about $200 or so, I will entertain the thought. For now, I will assume a wait and see position.
DVD. I just can’t find a compelling reason to let go of my dvd player. Yes, I know Blu-Ray looks better, but is it honestly that much better? DVD had a clear advantage over VHS, but can the same be said for Blu-Ray over DVD? I also don’t feel like it has a “killer app” or a must-have feature. Some people used the lack of WOW feature as their main reason not to move to Vista… and I honestly believe the same could be said about the Blu-Ray format.

After this was posted, I received the following email and wanted to share it in this post.

You said to chime in as to why we chose one format over the other, and here is my 2 cents. I myself chose Blu-Ray because I am a big fan of Sonys game consoles (yes, a playstation man thru and thru). From a gamers stand point, being able to put much more information per disc, was going to allow Sony (at least in my mind) to smoke the competition with the potential of their gaming consoles graphics and gameplay. I don’t have an HDTV (trust me, i’m workin on it) so HD movies didn’t tickle my fancy. I stayed away from the movie player scene. This is probably the most basic answer you’d hear for people who are pro Blu-Ray, but I figured I might as well tune in. Oh, and as a side note, the potential for Blu-Ray far exceeds the gaming and movie scene. The potential for just storage or large amounts of information as a hard copy backup for corporations or just the general users… Blu-Ray can be written in quad layers for 100gigs of information.

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Are You Ready for Blu-Ray DVD?

PSP Tips

Chris Pirillo — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 03:11:14 +0000

PSP Tips

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Do you own and use a PSP? Do you take good care of it? These aren’t cheap devices, and you wouldn’t want them to break unexpectedly, would you? Here are some tips for keeping your PSP in excellent working condition.

Keep ALL parts free of dust. Just like a computer, dust can damage PSP components and even the screen. One time, I left my PSP in a dusty place when I went on vacation. When I came back, there was a one inch CRACK on the screen.
Buy a PSP case rather than a PSP pouch. A case is hard and a pouch is soft. This means, if you accidentally drop your PSP while it’s in a case, it will survive the fall. Doing this acually guarantees a longer life span for your PSP.
ONLY purhase a memory stick duo that has enough memory for what you need. For example, it’s no use buying a 2 GB Memory stick duo, if you only use the PSP occasionally, and you put like 5 songs and 10 pictures on it. This will save you money and not make you feel as though you wasted money.
Always check the status of your PSP’s battery. You may not know this, but as time goes on battery capacity actually decreases. If you don’t replace the battery at all, it will come to a point where it will only run on the charger plugged into an outlet. So if you notice that battery life is getting shorter, get a new one.
When playing a UMD game, NEVER, under any circumstances attempt to remove the UMD when the game is in session! This will actually corrupt the data on the UMD, and lead to the disk being no longer useable. If you want the remove it, first go to the home page and then remove the disk. This saves the UMD and even parts of the PSP.

Always plug in your ac adapter BEFORE doing any firmware upgrading (the countless times i’ve heard of people losing power and bricking their psp is almost untrue!)
Make sure to buy memory sticks from reputable online shops or even retail shops, as fake cards are a waste of money and you risk jeopardizing your precious game saves and music!!!
If you want to convert DVDs to play from your memory stick, download DVDFab HD Decrypter 4 and ImTOO DVD to PSP converter. They work very well with each other, the first removes any copyright encrytion from your dvd and store it to your hard drive. Once complete use the ifo file with the ImTOO converter. (You can specify what resolution and even what bit rate your film will be made at, i get my films down to about 400mb at decent quality).
Invest in the SONY PSP media manager 2.5 PRO. It has a backup utility and if you have PSone games downloaded from Playstation Store, you can use it to store these on your PC hard drive.
If you haven’t already got a wireless router get one they make updating and PSP’s much more fun especially playing Killzone Liberation, Worms Open Warefare 2 or wipeout pulse.

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PSP Tips

Unpacking a New PSP Slim

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 21:06:38 +0000

Unpacking a New PSP Slim

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I love my PSP. The screen is amazing, and it’s great to watch movies on when I travel. I’m a casual gamer, so this has fit my needs well. I was anxious to try the new PSP Slim this week, and decided to open it on a video.

When the PSP first came out, I wasn’t planning to ever get one. I was still mad at Sony over the whole “memory stick” thing. However, after playing a friends’ PSP, I realized I had to have one. As I said already, I LOVE mine, and use it often. I’ve been looking forward to this newest version.

This new PSP Slim is purported to be slimmer, faster, and have more memory. I bought the Limited Edition Daxter bundle. Upon opening it, I can tell it’s not only slimmer, but it’s also significantly lighter. It feels better in the hands. The buttons are, of course, in the same place as the older PSP. In this new version, you can connect your PSP to the TV for gaming and such.

The LCD screen is much brighter and crisper. THe memory is definitely doubled. The colors it comes in are excellent. I of course, chose silver. I love silver gadgets! RSS is a bit better with it, but still not quite where it should be. I have to also give Sony credit for updating the firmware quite a bit. Specs from the website:

Heart-pounding game play and mobile entertainment now fit into smaller pockets. The latest PSP handheld system is 19% thinner and 33% lighter than the previous model, with twice the memory—now 64MB—for faster loading times. To get you started on the action, this bundle comes with the new Ice Silver PlayStation Portable system, Daxter adventure game and the hilarious Family Guy: Freakin’ Sweet Collection UMD movie. In addition, this pack features 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo media, an AC power cord, AC adapter and a smaller, more efficient battery pack that lasts up to six hours. Featuring 64MB of internal system memory and a dedicated PSP® CPU running at up to 333MHz, the PSP has the horsepower you need for an unmatched gaming experience. The 4.3″ LCD screen sports a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, 480 x 272 pixel resolution, and 16.7 million colors for graphics that come alive on the screen.

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Unpacking a New PSP Slim